What Is Lower Back Pain? Your Ashburn Chiropractor Knows! Can chiropractic Help? Yes!

08/28/2012

"What is Ashburn lower back pain? How does chiropractic help?"

So much talk about this question of back pain swirls as 80% of us in Ashburn will have it in our lifetimes. Almost half of us have it right now! So what is lower back pain? Why does lower back pain come and go? Why is it so disabling? Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn knows lower back pain and knows that chiropractic has a solution. But first, what is it?

WHAT IS BACK PAIN?

It's an irritated nerve due to mechanical irritation or chemical irritation. The irritation is caused either

by compression on the nerve (the so called "pinched nerve" so many Ashburn back pain sufferers relate to and hear so much about) or

by inflammation of the spinal nerve caused by chemicals produced when the intervertebral disc is damaged and/or degenerated.

Two, disc degeneration. This is the shrinking of the disc. The disc keeps the spinal bones apart and allows room for spinal nerves to pass through easily. If the disc degenerates, the narrowing of the disc space allows narrowing of the nerve opening, resulting in back pain and perhaps the lower extremity (leg, calf, foot, toes).

Three, arthritis. Of course, we have to consider the old friend arthritis. We Ashburn friends and family talk about arthritis a lot. Arthritis is bone growth into the nerve opening that will compress or push on the nerve. Your Ashburn chiropractor is the back pain specialist who knows arthritis’ ways!

And, finally, ligament thickening. There are ligaments in the spine that, when under stress, can thicken to narrow the nerve opening and compress the nerves exiting from the spinal cord. Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn works to coax the irritating factors away from the nerves to relieve pain.

Mechanical irritation of the nerve is easy to appreciate as a cause of back pain and is the usual reason most Ashburn back pain sufferers can easily understand as the cause of pain. It's easy to see on x-rays and MRIs, too. But then, there's chemical irritation causing back pain: not often seen on imaging but quite pain-producing.

CHEMICAL IRRITATION

So what is this chemical irritation caused by? Do many Ashburn back pain patients have it? We find that many of Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn's own patients are not familiar with this cause of back pain, but it is very common, especially with aging persons.

The intervertebral disc, that pad of cartilage between two vertebrae or spinal bones, is normally a fluid-filled inside (called the nucleus pulposus) surrounded by a ligament-like structure (called the annulus fibrosus) that holds the fluid inside. Now, when the outer ligament-like annulus is torn, as occurs in motor vehicle accidents, lifting, bending, twisting, falling, etc., the inner fluid leaks into the outer disc fibers of the annulus fibrosus to set up an inflammatory reaction.

This inflammation occurs because once the inner fluid of the disc leaks into the border of the disc where it doesn't belong, it causes a chemical reaction that causes back pain.

NOW if that leaking disc material from the inside of the disc leaks into the spinal canal behind the disc, it will then chemically irritate the nerve and result in back pain and probably leg pain as well. This chemical reaction is actually an immune reaction of our body rejecting the presence of this inner disc material outside of its normal confines within the disc. Having back pain and/or leg pain in Ashburn is no fun!

SCIATICA

Both the mechanically compressed nerve and the chemically inflamed nerve will produce back pain that can radiate into the hip, thigh, leg and foot. This is called sciatica. Ashburn folks get help for this at Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn all the time.

CHIROPRACTIC HELP FOR BACK PAIN

The good news about all this back pain ... this nerve compression and inflammation can be healed through various modes of chiropractic care, the first line of which is spinal manipulation to remove compression of the nerve and absorb the chemical irritation. Certainly, contact Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburnbefore resorting to back surgery...or after Ashburn back surgery if your pain continues.

Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn trusts that this supplies an understandable overview of why we humans get back pain and leg pain (and even neck and arm pain). At least we trust this is enough of an overview to assure you that Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn fully understands back pain and is here to help you.

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About Us

Call us to set up an appointment: Herndon (703) 561-0600 Ashburn (703) 723-4040

About Our Chiropractic Practice

Our practice at Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn focuses on chiropractic wellness as well as relief of pain, particularly spine pain and its related conditions. We provide comprehensive care for back pain, neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain, arm pain, leg pain, and injuries to the body from a car accident, sports injury or other causes. Our chiropractic practice respectfully serves the Ashburn area. We have been serving the area since 1993, over 25 years in the Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. We pride ourselves on being patient-oriented and responsive to your needs be they about insurance filing or appointment making or your health and healing. We provide individualized treatment plans to meet your specific needs. We also serve the Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C and Pennsylvania areas. We greatly appreciate all of you who have chosen Poulin Chiropractic and drive from afar for your quality chiropractic care!